What is the best 12 gauge shell for small game hunting if you dont want to put too many holes in the animal?

I will be hunting doves, rabbits, squirrel, and groundhog. i dont want to put a lot of holes in the meat.What is the best 12 gauge shell for small game hunting if you dont want to put too many holes in the animal?
There's an art to choosing shot size. Your most important concern is a humane kill. If you use small shot there are more pellets increasing the chance some will stay in the meat, but it the shot is too large the more damage it does to the meat.



The guy who answered just 6, isn't too far off if you want to make one shot work. However after killing dove for many years, I agree with the experts and use 7 1/2 shot. I have successfully used 8 shot, which is often on sale, but I do get more "wounded" birds. I have noticed that at normal ranges (inside 30 yards) the shot usually passes through, or stays in the organs and is disposed of while cleaning. Of course, like most, all I save to eat is the breast. Only occasionally would I bite into a piece of shot.



Game hunting gets more confusing. You find advocates of 4,5 or 6 shot. Actually when killing mammals it's about range. I prefer a game load of #5 shot when I can find it. I have used this successfully on pheasant. It's high velocity allows it to reach out there to maximum ranges. Otherwise I will use 4 or 6 depending on which is on sale. The mammals you describe are usually killed at 30 yards or less with a shotgun and the shot from the previous mentioned loads will usually pass through them, or be trapped in the organs. I have had fewer incidents of shot bites with rabbits and squirrel.
Generally shotgun shells are sized to the game being hunted, as well as the speed of the target. Like the previous posts stated, low base # 8 shot is a good place to start. Now #8 shot has more pellets per inch of shell than say # 4 shot, but this allows a fast moving target to be hit easily within the spread. This is why #8-11 shot is used for clays. they break easy, and the extra pellets make for an easier hit. Now even though there are more pellets, they do not have nearly the energy per pellet that larger shot sizes have. This equates into less pellets penetrating the skin of the target and damaging the meat.

For doves and close range quail, low base 6, 7 1/2, and 8 shot are great choices. Squirrels, rabbits and ground hogs have a little bit tougher hide, especially in the fall, winter and spring.(Except the hibernating ground hog) For those 3 species, I would look at high base 6' and 7's, of course this is dependent on the range you will be shooting. For a larger rabbit at 40 yards, I would look at high base 5 shot, or the like.



Hope this helps, and good huntingWhat is the best 12 gauge shell for small game hunting if you dont want to put too many holes in the animal?
dove or pigeon, your looking at the normal 6's and if you want 5's

rabbit and squirrels, i like to use 5's but if you dont want so much lead in them people use 4's



dont have many ground hogs here so i wouldn't know.What is the best 12 gauge shell for small game hunting if you dont want to put too many holes in the animal?
* Number 6 or 7-1/2 shot for rabbits, squirrels, and all Birds.* Number 4 shot for groundhog.*
Birdshot.
Federal Lead 8 shot
4 with a loose modified choke
6